Inside Secrets to Landing a State of Delaware Job
Why apply for a Delaware state job?
State jobs are highly desired. They have great benefits with top-level insurance plans and offer one of the last few true pension programs around. Just over 40 percent of Delaware state jobs are union positions, meaning you have extra protections. Merit rules cover many more employees (about 80 percent of state jobs), resulting in improved job security.
The major disadvantage is that the pay is not great, and you can earn a lot more money in the private sector. But salaries are gradually improving, and the benefits, pension, and job security may balance that out for you over the long term.
For context, the State of Delaware has about 14,000 employees. The largest agencies are Health and Social Services, Corrections, Transportation, the Kids’ Department, and Safety and Homeland Security.
How hard is it to get a state job?
It can be tough to break into a state job for three main reasons:
1. The application system is different from anything you’ve done in the private sector, so you have to think and plan very carefully.
2. Jobs can be open for very short amounts of time – as little as a week – meaning you’ve got to stay on top of new openings.
3. State jobs are very competitive: About 58,000 people apply each year for about 2,700 openings. Many of those roles are filled through promotions and transfers, with about 800 new employees hired each year.
With those obstacles, why should I even apply?
1. There will be a lot of opportunities in the next few years. About a third of state employees will be able to retire within five years, while about 12 percent could retire and walk out the door tomorrow. Hiring managers are going to have to replace a lot of institutional knowledge and experience when they do.
2. Some jobs are tough to fill – giving good candidates the edge. About 29 percent of state jobs have fewer than 10 applicants.
It’s tough, but that’s why we’ve written this guide – to help people crack the code and improve their chances. With a little planning, you can even the odds.
Step 1: Find your target job
State jobs have to be posted for a minimum of seven days; many agencies in a hurry follow that rule. That’s not a lot of time to get your information in order and apply, so prepare your application ahead of time!
Here are the top four things you need to know:
1. Most state jobs – and all state merit jobs – are posted on the Delaware Employment Link website, statejobs.delaware.gov.
2. Do your research on this page, which has all of the state job titles, pay grades, and job descriptions. You can search the list for specific words, like “marketing” or “engineer.” (Note that the search function on this page doesn’t search the full text of the job descriptions, just the titles. Searching for “public relations” doesn’t work because there aren’t any jobs with those words in the title.)
3. Know that state job titles can be kind of strange. For example, someone who does landscaping work is called a "conservation technician." People who run specific programs are often called “management analysts.” Spend some time on the job titles page to make sure you understand what roles you’re interested in.
4. To find jobs once they’re posted, you can check back on the site each day and search for new jobs you’re interested in … OR you can use a top-secret magic trick to have alerts show up in your email every morning:
A. Click here for the Job Alerts page.
B. Select the categories you’re interested in, such as Labor, Trades and Crafts.
C. Scroll down the list and pick the specific jobs that you want to get alerts for. If you’re not sure what a job title means (like the very vague “Administrative Officer”), just click on the title to get more details.
D. When you’ve picked all your jobs, scroll up to the top and click the blue button labeled “Add All Checked Classes to My Job Search Agent.”
E. Click the blue button labeled “Finish.”
F. Enter your email, cell number, or both. The alerts come out each night around 3 a.m., so most people will prefer an email notification.
5. Sometimes you may want to work for a specific department or division. Click around the list of state agencies to get a sense of which ones you might prefer.
TIME-SAVING TIP: To put yourself in the best position, look at the job descriptions that you want to apply for in advance, and write out your qualifications for each item. (Read the next section for expert tips on just how you can master that.)
Step 2: Get past the screener
Once you submit your application, your information goes into a state database for an initial review. That review is often conducted by a human resources staffer who may not be familiar with the job you’re applying for beyond the application questions.
The screener probably doesn’t have a lot of detailed knowledge about the specific jobs, titles, duties, licenses, terminology, or other background that you included in your application.
The hiring manager – the person who will probably be your supervisor or manager and knows more about the job than anyone – is still in the dark and doesn’t see anything at this stage.
Your only job now is to make it as easy as possible for the screener to say “Yes, this person is qualified,” and send you through to the next round — getting your resume in front of the hiring manager.
Here’s exactly how to do that.
1. Create your account on the state portal. Keep your user ID and password handy, because you may have to re-enter them several times. (Note: Your user ID is not your email address.)
2. Your focus should be on a tab called the “Supplemental Questionnaire.” Don’t let the name fool you! This is mandatory and will largely determine if you make it past the screener and onto the hiring manager’s desk.
PRO TIP: Many people don’t get rated as qualified because they think this section is optional, don’t take it seriously, write “See resume,” or don’t think carefully about their answers. You need to put a lot of time into your application to make it shine.
>> You’ll notice the questions on this form are drawn directly from the qualifications listed in the job description itself. They are used by the screener to determine if you’re qualified or if you just freeze at this point in the process.
>> The first part of each question is a yes / no button. If you select “no,” then you’re automatically disqualifying yourself. Here’s an example for an Administrative Specialist III position:
>> The second part of each question is a text box where you’ll enter the details on why you meet that particular qualification. This section is the most important part so far, because this is primarily what the screener will look at to rate your application. You need to provide as many details as possible to help them out. Start with a general statement that you meet the qualifications and include your total years of experience. Use the language from the job description so there’s no question about whether or not you meet each item. Here’s an example from the Administrative Specialist III position:
>> That’s just the first sentence! Keep on going, because you need to write as much as possible here. Include years, dates, job titles, employers’ names, job duties, certifications, accomplishments, and achievements. Consider this an expanded version of your resume. You want to overwhelm the screener with your experience.
PRO TIP: Write your qualifications in another document and save it, and then copy and paste them into this text box when you’re finished. That way you don’t lose anything if the state portal crashes.
>> Let’s look at a few examples of how you can showcase your experience:
This supports what you wrote in the first sentence by detailing your exact roles and the years you held them. Now go point by point and explain what you did in each role:
This covers your first employer. Note how it uses the exact language from the question. Remember, your goal here is to make it as easy as possible for the screener to recognize that you’re qualified and move you up to the next level. Go into as much detail as possible for each role.
This item for your second employer also mentions one of your achievements. Sprinkle accomplishments, results, and examples of your work throughout your answers.
This item for your third employer puts your work experience in context. You didn’t just sit around twiddling your thumbs – you handled more than 250 contacts each day!
Education and training are important to include as well. They can qualify you for some roles just like work experience can.
TIME-SAVING TIP: Once you’ve completed an application for one position, you can have the jobs portal transfer the information to all new applications you fill out.
DON’T DO THIS: Don’t use industry jargon, technical terms, or abbreviations. Remember the screener is usually a human resources generalist, not someone with deep knowledge of your subject area.
DON’T DO THIS, EITHER: Never write “see resume.” Don’t even expect that the screener has seen your resume. Your answers need to stand on their own.
3. Once you’ve answered all of the questions in great detail, the application will ask if you’re a current or former state employee. When you’ve answered, click the blue button at the bottom of the page that says “Save and Continue.” Don’t worry about forgetting to answer something; the portal won’t let you go forward without having addressed each item.
4. The next few pages are a series of profile and EEO/AA questions. Answer them honestly.
5. Next are a series of pages where you’ll enter your work experience, education and training details, and upload or copy your resume. Don’t skip anything! The screener and the hiring manager will be looking at every part of this, too. Make sure the work experience sections match what’s on your resume and that they both match the answers to the questionnaire.
PRO TIP: If you copy and paste your resume, make sure it’s in plain text and doesn’t have any fancy formatting. If you upload it, make sure it’s a PDF so that any formatting is preserved. Don’t upload a Word file, because that can become distorted on someone else’s computer, and all your formatting will have gone to waste.
6. The next-to-last button is very important:
Make sure you carefully review everything on your application – your contact information, education, experience, questionnaire answers, and resume. This is your last opportunity to make any changes; once you apply, you can’t go back and change anything. You can also print a copy to keep for your records as a backup.
7. When you’re ready to send, you first have to fill out a release that certifies you understand the process and allow the state to verify the information you submitted. Make sure you click send before the deadline! That’s always 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.
If you need more help with the technical side of the application portal:
Here’s the official State of Delaware resource on “How to Apply.”
Here’s the user guide for the Delaware Employment Link system.
Step 3: Make it on to the interview list
The good news is that now you just have to wait. That’s also the bad news! Depending on the agency size, workload, and hiring priorities, it can take a few weeks for the screening process to be completed. Don’t stop and wait - keep on applying.
If you’re rated as not qualified, you’ll get an email saying so. Don’t give up! Go back and review your application and the job qualifications. There’s something that you just didn’t match on and that you need to improve. Compare everything you wrote with the exact language of the qualifications, and you’ll probably find the answer in there.
If you are rated as qualified, congratulations! You’ll get an email. The screener will send a referral list over to the hiring manager, and now you get to wait some more while they review the applications.
If less than 30 people are qualified, then the hiring manager gets all of them on the list (viewed in alphabetical order). But if there are more than 30, the screener scores them, rates them, and narrows the list down to 30. If you’re number 31, then sorry, better luck next time – which is why it’s critically important to make sure your application is the best it can be.
Important: Just because you get a qualified rating or even make it to the referral list doesn’t mean you’ll get an interview. The hiring manager has broad discretion here. They’ll go through your entire application, including your questionnaire, work experience and education, and resume, and invite you in.
Hiring managers are generally looking to make sure that you have the right skill set, the necessary experience, are compatible with their existing team, have the potential for future growth, and have any special skills that would make you stand out. This is where a good results-focused resume can really make a difference.
Step 4: Crush the interview
A state job interview may not be quite like any other interview you’ve ever had. Here’s how they work.
The Invitation
When you get an interview invite, you won’t have a lot of flexibility. Many state interviews are all conducted on the same day. If you aren’t free that day, then you’re probably out of luck – unless you’re a top candidate and the hiring manager really wants to see what you can do. You may have a week’s notice – or two, if you’re lucky.
PRO TIP: Ask how many people will be on the panel. Bring extra copies of your resume to hand to them, along with your work samples or portfolio (see below).
The Panel
Generally speaking, state jobs interviews are conducted by a panel. The same panel members interview all the applicants. Panel members typically include the hiring manager and others in the department or division who have special expertise or can give insight. For example, a team hiring an administrative specialist will usually have another administrative specialist on the panel. If you’re seeking a senior position, there may be other senior-level staff who you’d be working closely with on the panel.
Introduction
The hiring manager will generally start by giving you an overview about the position and the role on the team. Jot down a few notes and save any questions that aren’t addressed for the end.
Questions
The interview questions are chosen by the hiring manager. Everyone gets asked the same questions so that you’re rated fairly against the other applicants. You’ll notice that some of the questions may be drawn directly from the job qualifications. Others may be situational – “How would you handle a situation where …”
This is your chance to showcase your experience and highlight your achievements. Go into the interview prepared with some strong, short stories about the results you’ve produced in your previous jobs. Practice your answers ahead of time, and make sure you have your career story down cold.
The panel members will usually rotate the questions they ask, and will probably be scribbling notes while you talk. That helps them fill out their rating forms at the end. Don’t worry if no one’s making eye contact while you answer!
Work Samples
If you’re in the type of job where you have samples of your work, bring them along in a nice portfolio – things like grant applications, graphic design samples, and professional items you’ve written. Include previous job evaluations if you have them. Bring one copy for each member of the panel and leave them with them at the end.
Bring Your Questions
When their questions are done, ask a few of your own about the team, the last person in the position, what success looks like, etc. Here are 10 great questions recommended by Ask A Manager.
PRO TIPS
1. Arrive 15-20 minutes early. Use the bathroom, freshen up, enjoy the government building lobby atmosphere.
2. Dress as professionally as you can. You might be more dressed up than the interviewers; many state agencies are business casual. (Why do you need to dress up? Here are the answers.)
3. Bring a notepad and jot down a few notes throughout the interview to show you’re paying attention, including the names and roles of the interviewers. Just don’t get too focused on writing.
4. After the interview, send thank-you emails to all the interview panel members. The state email address convention is firstname.lastname@delaware.gov; you might have to do a little web searching. If you can’t figure out how to spell someone’s name, then send a thank-you email to the hiring manager at a minimum. This isn’t required, but it does keep you on the radar of the hiring manager.
Fifth: Pass the reference check
If you’re lucky enough to be a finalist, then you’ll get a call or email from either the hiring manager or someone from HR. Your references will be checked by phone. References are typically only checked for the top choice, so if you’ve made it this far, congratulations – you’re almost there!
Reference checks are mostly a formality; most applicants don’t list people who are going to say negative things. But do take it seriously. Alert your references ahead of time so that they’re expecting the call, and make sure that they understand the job. (And certainly don’t quit your current job until you get the official offer.)
The agency may also do a criminal background check, drug screen, or other assessments at this point.
Sixth: Getting an offer
If everything is a go, then you’ll get a call or an email with an offer. (Depending on the role and timing, the offer may be conditional upon passing a drug test or background check, or completing a certification or license.)
Here are three important things to know about getting a state job offer:
Start Date
The agency will want you to start as quickly as possible, but on a day that’s synched up with their pay cycle.
Time Off
There is usually no negotiation on vacation or sick time. Those are governed by merit rules or agency policies. You typically accrue that time each month as you go along, so you won’t have a lot to start.
Salary Offer
Here’s where things get tricky. Remember the salary range that was advertised in the job posting? The one that looked something like this:
That’s not a range for new hires. The maximum is what can be earned by someone who’s been with the state for years and gone through multiple raises. As an applicant, your offer isn’t going to be close to that. In fact, it’s not even going to be close to the “mid,” or midpoint.
The typical maximum offer to a new hire is going to come in around 85 percent of the midpoint – so for the Administrative Specialist III position, the offer is likely going to be around $32,430. That’s just a little bit above the minimum.
But here’s what many applicants don’t know: If their qualifications are “clearly over and above the job requirements” and “supported by documentation,” or if there is a “critical shortage of applicants,” then the agency can get permission to make a higher offer. This has to be sent up the chain and be approved by the Secretary of the Department of Human Resources. (Click here and see item 4.4.) If you’re in that situation, you can ask if they’ll do that.
However, agencies are also often restricted by what’s called “internal equity.” If there are other people in that role, they can’t pay you significantly more than those other employees.
Just go into the application process with your eyes wide open, and don’t expect an offer anywhere near the max.
FYI: Types of state jobs
Merit jobs: Merit jobs are typically what people think of when they say “state job.” Merit employees are covered by the state merit rules, which are a detailed list of processes for hiring, firing, discipline, etc. All merit jobs are posted here. The state merit rules are available here.
Non-merit agencies: Several Delaware agencies or divisions have non-merit jobs, such as the Department of Justice and the Department of Education. Check here for links to job postings on their sites.
Education jobs: Jobs with local school districts and charter schools aren’t posted on the state jobs portal, but through a different site. Most schools use joindelawareschools.org, but a few districts aren’t listed there. Check on their websites first.
Special jobs: These are roles typically involving policymaking or other senior and sensitive positions, usually appointed by the Governor or a cabinet secretary directly. These openings are typically not advertised publicly.
Casual/seasonal jobs: The term “casual/seasonal” can be confusing. These roles are usually either year-round part-time jobs that don’t come with benefits, such as a marketing assistant, or true seasonal positions hired for part of the year, such as lifeguards at state parks. Casual/seasonal jobs don’t have the same merit protections or benefits as full-time merit staff, but they can be a great way of breaking into a full-time role. Casual/seasonal roles are generally posted here. Not all job postings include key information like hours or specific availability needed, so reach out and ask if you have questions.